Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin and the Birmingham Police Department have presented their recommended officer recruitment and retention plan.
The city reports the plan will prioritize the hiring of 172 patrol officers to achieve staffing targets in police precincts around the Magic City. The recruitment and retention plan also prioritizes patrol officers to strengthen police coverage in Birmingham neighborhoods.
The recommendation would increase the signing bonus for new officers to $10,000 and establish a quarterly retention bonus of $2,500 for officers who have been in the department for two or more years.
In order to provide an accurate number to the public, the current staffing vacancies for sworn officers in the department are listed below.:
Total vacancies for all sworn personnel: 223
—Officers: 206
172 patrol officers
34 officers assigned to administration, operations and investigative bureaus
—Additional vacancies: 17
These are sergeants, lieutenants, captains
The Birmingham Police Academy’s November class is on track to be the largest since 2020.
The department tells the city it's encouraged by the number of individuals interested in a law enforcement career in Birmingham.
While the recommendations presented to the city council would enhance recruiting and officer retention, the department has taken multiple steps in recent years:
—Officer pay has increased by 15% over the last two years with the starting salary near $51,000.
—A $5,000 signing bonus was initiated for recruits in 2023.
—Officers also have a $1,200 uniform allowance, premium pay for multilingual skills, specialized training, and 12 weeks of parental leave.
